Poulner Infant School and Nursery Review 2026: Early Years strength with a clear community spine

An important context point for parents comparing schools is that infant schools do not sit the same public end-of-Key-Stage assessments as junior and primary schools that run through to Year 6. This means the usual Key Stage 2 measures and rankings many families are used to seeing are not the most meaningful way to judge day-to-day impact here. The better question is whether reading, language, number, and learning behaviours are developing fast enough by the end of Year 2 to make a smooth jump into Key Stage 2 at the next school.

On that front, reading is treated as a priority in the most recent inspection narrative. The report describes a structured phonics programme, targeted support for pupils who need help, and a typical picture of pupils reading fluently by the time they leave at the end of Year 2.

Parents should also treat admissions pressure as a proxy signal. Recent demand data indicates the school is oversubscribed, with more applications than offers, which is consistent with a local reputation as a solid option. If you are weighing multiple local infant settings, using FindMySchool’s Local Hub comparison tools can help you see demand signals side-by-side, which is often more informative than chasing a single headline judgement.

Curriculum design is described in unusually concrete terms for an infant school: the important knowledge from nursery through to the end of Year 2 is set out, and in many subjects it is defined precisely enough that teachers know what to teach and when. That sequencing matters, because children at this age can appear to be “doing fine” while gaps quietly open in vocabulary, sound blending, or number sense.

Teaching is also described as generally well-supported by subject knowledge and clear explanations, with staff helping pupils make links between ideas. One example in the report sits exactly where parents want it, Reception mathematics, where pattern is developed through practical activities that increase in complexity over time.

There are also two clear improvement themes that are useful for parents to understand, because they suggest what the school is currently tightening. First, a small number of subjects are still being refined so that knowledge is set out in the best order and at the right level of detail. Second, checking understanding is not yet consistently sharp enough across all areas; sometimes misconceptions are not identified quickly and gaps are left too long. For a family, the implication is not alarm, it is a prompt to ask good questions at open events: how is learning checked day-to-day, what happens when a child is stuck, and how are staff ensuring early errors in reading or number do not become habits.

Little Acorns adds its own distinctive layer. It is led by a named early years lead teacher, Mrs Jess Moses, and the page states she holds a Masters degree in education and is trained as a Therapeutic Play Practitioner. The nursery leadership team also includes Mrs Alex Peters, described as trained as a Norland Nanny with a degree focused on supporting children with special needs, with the wider team made up of Level 2 and Level 3 practitioners. This signals an early years model that expects play to be purposeful and adult interaction to be skilled, rather than passive supervision.

Because the age range stops at Year 2, transition planning is central. The obvious next step for many families is junior provision in the immediate area, and the local authority’s school detail page explicitly links the infant school to Poulner Junior School, noting that attendance at a linked school may assist with priority admission.

That link matters in practice. It is the kind of detail that can change the feel of the decision: rather than treating Year R as a one-off lottery, some families will plan a coherent 2 to 11 pathway and focus on how stable the transition is likely to be for their child. If you are thinking this way, ask about the practical join-up: shared events, transition visits, curriculum alignment, and whether there is any coordination on pastoral information.

For families who expect to move house within a couple of years, the second pathway question is in-year availability. The school’s own homepage notes limited spaces across year groups at the time it was published, and Hampshire provides a separate in-year application route that starts from 1 May 2026 for September 2026 starts, with processing from 8 June 2026.

Reception entry is coordinated by Hampshire, not handled as a direct school application. The county’s published key dates for the main admissions round for September 2026 set out the timeline clearly: applications open on 1 November 2025, close on 15 January 2026, and on-time applicants receive outcomes on 16 April 2026, with waiting lists established from 30 April 2026.

The local authority’s “find a school” page for this school also lists 60 Year R places for September 2026 and flags that some catchment areas are changing or ceasing from September 2026, which is an important warning not to rely on old assumptions about boundaries.

Demand indicators reinforce the point that timing and realism matter. Recent admissions figures show more applications than offers, so if this is your first preference, it is sensible to use all available preferences in the county application rather than treating the process as a single shot. The FindMySchool Map Search is useful here; you can check your exact distance and then sanity-check your shortlist against recent demand patterns, while remembering that distance-based outcomes vary year to year.

Nursery admissions operate differently. Little Acorns invites families to contact the setting to arrange a visit and apply, with sessions described as morning and afternoon blocks and an option to stay for lunch. Early years funding is referenced via the government childcare choices site, and the page also notes that early years funding cannot be used to pay for breakfast or after-school club sessions for nursery children.

If you are applying for nursery with a view to Reception later, it is worth asking directly how progression typically works in practice. Many schools can accommodate continuity, but nursery places and Reception places are not always legally or administratively the same thing. The safest approach is to treat them as separate processes and plan accordingly.

Clarity and named responsibility is a good sign at infant stage, where families want to know who holds the safeguarding brief. The safeguarding page lists the designated safeguarding leads by name, including the head teacher as lead DSL, and identifies deputy DSLs.

Pastoral stability also shows up in the inspection narrative, which describes calm behaviour, attentive listening in lessons, and harmonious play at breaktimes. For parents of children who are sensitive to noise, transitions, or group dynamics, those cues are more useful than generic statements about behaviour policies.

In the nursery, the “keyworker” model is made explicit, with children given individual support and attention through a named keyworker. For a two- or three-year-old, that relationship can be the difference between a confident settle and a long, draining transition period.

The latest Ofsted inspection in October 2024 confirmed the school has maintained standards and remains Good on the public record.

At infant stage, “extracurricular” is less about competitive clubs and more about structured experiences that widen vocabulary and confidence. The inspection report gives several concrete examples: pupils learn about the local area through trips including Bournemouth and Southampton, and visitors such as water safety and fire safety officers help children learn how to stay safe in the community.

The physical environment also shows up as a learning tool. The report references a forest area and a low ropes course used to develop collaboration and perseverance. That is a meaningful detail for parents, because it suggests the school values resilience, turn-taking and problem-solving, not just tidy exercise books.

On the community side, the school’s parent association, PISA, describes its role as building community through events and fundraising for additional resources and experiences. That is not a minor add-on at this phase; for many families it becomes the easiest way to build social networks quickly, which can be a real practical support in the first year of school life.

Little Acorns adds its own flavour. The nursery page describes a home-from-home approach aligned with the Curiosity Approach, and it frames professional development for staff as both alongside the main school and within the nursery team. If your child thrives on imaginative play and gentle routines, this kind of early years philosophy can be a strong fit, particularly when paired with clear structure for language and early number.

The school day is clearly stated: classroom doors open at 8.45am and the school finishes at 3.15pm, with lunch starting at 12.00 and afternoon lessons at 1.05pm.

Wraparound care is available. Breakfast Club runs from 7.30am and After School Club runs until 5.45pm, supervised by school staff, with current charges listed as £5 per breakfast session and £10 per after-school session (both noted as subject to change).

For nursery, sessions are set out as morning and afternoon blocks, with the nursery page also noting that a limited number of breakfast and after-school club spaces are available for pre-school children aged 3 and over, by agreement.

• Competition for places. Recent admissions figures indicate oversubscription, so families should plan applications carefully and use all available preferences rather than assuming a first preference will be enough.

• Infant-to-junior transition matters. Because the school ends at Year 2, your child will move again relatively quickly. If stability is important, explore how linked junior provision works and what support exists for transition.

• Curriculum refinement is ongoing. External review highlights that some subjects are still being tightened for knowledge sequencing, and that checking misconceptions is not yet consistently fast across all areas. Ask how this is being addressed, especially in early reading and maths.

• Wraparound costs. Breakfast and after-school clubs are a real asset for working families, but they come with session charges, and nursery funding cannot be used to pay for wraparound sessions for pre-school children.

This is a structured early years setting with a clear sense of community and a strong emphasis on reading, language and learning behaviours. It suits families who want an infant school that feels purposeful, values inclusion, and provides practical wraparound care for busy weekdays. The main hurdle is admission in an oversubscribed context, plus the need to plan for the Year 2 transition into junior provision.